AccR and GFS presently both prognose < 5mm for us Gippslanders over the next few days. For me, if I saw the above, the first thing I'd do is check the level of Lake Glenmaggie! ....just shows we are all learning/have much to learn!

Looks like Summer 2017/2018 is finally getting ready to go into high-gear next week across Victoria, with the next heatwave looming ahead of what could become another 'Battle of the Air Masses'.

Once the frontal system south of the Bight and nearing Tassie clears out this weekend high pressure takes over next week, allowing conditions to dry out and temperatures to soar to potentially dangerous levels across the Northern Plains and Mallee region, reaching 40°C in Mildura by Wednesday. Melbourne's currently going for 31-32°C around the middle of next week, but wouldn't rule out the City and metropolitan area edging closer to 35°C.

But the next potentially major winter storm from Antarctica appears to be showing up in the synoptic prognosis and corresponding forecast models, and could be on a collision course with the upcoming heatwave over Southern Australia! A powerful cold front and enormous deepening low pressure system are set to swing northbound across the Southern Ocean into the Bight early next week and join forces with a trough which will dip south from the WA Pilbara and tropical Northern Australia.

The preceding high will eventually retreat off the East Coast into the South Pacific, and allow a northerly airflow to build over Eastern Australia. According to the models, as the storm approaches the sheer temperature contrast between the polar blast and the heatwave could generate a very tight pressure gradient, which could translate into possibly damaging winds and a potentially dangerous bushfire risk.

Unsure about rainfall with next week's system, but I'd expect showers and thunderstorms to develop with the cold front and trough on Wednesday/Thursday. Fingers crossed.

Still watching the models and synoptics closely, but there's definite indications that a dangerous heatwave with the risk of bushfires (36°C for Melbourne and 43°C for Mildura, both on Wednesday) is about to unfold across Victoria next week, with two cold front also appearing. The first front is due on Wednesday/Thursday (probably little more than just a brief cool change with showers and thunderstorms at this stage) and the next one during the following weekend and early the following week.

The second front looks like it could become a potentially major winter storm; could be quite a vigorous cold outbreak and cool, showery westerly surge to follow!

Looks like we're only expecting a brief (mainly coastal) respite from the looming heatwave. Still going for 36°C here in Melbourne and 43°C up in Mildura on Wednesday, ahead of a short-lived cool change with possible showers and thunderstorms on Thursday. Could be a dangerous bushfire situation looming!

Next weekend and early next week looks interesting. If the latest model output is anything to go by then it could turn into a full-scale Battle of the Air Masses!

ACCESS, GFS and the synoptic prognosis all have a powerful cold front and low from Antarctica following not to far behind Thursday's cool change. The cold front and low are likely to enter the Bight or just south of it next weekend, and then link up with a trough from the WA Pilbara.

The latest 7-10 day outlook as this system exploding into a potentially major winter storm, with the low deepening dramatically in response to the razor-sharp temperature difference between the polar air mass from the Southern Ocean and the scorching heatwave over Southern Australia. Next Sunday/Monday could turn into a blustery high-risk bushfire day across Victoria as temperatures soar and the northerly airflow strengthens possibly to gale-force ahead of this powerful storm system!

BSCH has instability with this system on Monday across much of the State, and GFS hints at good rain with storms as well!

Fingers crossed as to whether this storm comes off as predicted - could bring everything from scorching heat and bushfires (not good news) to gales, severe thunderstorms, a soaking rain event, maybe even a cold blast too. Worth keeping an eye on!

Looks like a relatively quiet period coming up for Christmas 2017 with high pressure being the dominating feature, although a low pressure trough will sweep over Victoria during the weekend, along with a cold front just to the south over Tasmania.

We should see patchy fog in the south, plus a few showers along and near the coast over the next few days; also unsettled at times over the Gippsland Highlands/Alpine/Northeast Victoria with a couple of showers and maybe a thunderstorm or two likely. Otherwise mostly fine with generally westerly winds for much of the outlook. Mild to warm south of the Great Dividing Range, hotter across the Northern Plains and Mallee region. Forecast tops of 29°C for Melbourne and 37°C for Mildura on Saturday.

If I'm reading the charts and models correctly, then something maybe coming in time for the end of 2017 and perhaps the start of 2018. A few different scenarios are showing up and it's a bit tricky to summarise adequately, but it does look interesting at this stage.

The latest synoptic prognosis suggests that the monsoon maybe about to kick into gear across tropical Northern Australia just after Christmas, with a decent trough arching from the Top End down towards the WA Pilbara and south into the Bight by this time next week. Also a separate tropical low that wanders just offshore along the northwest coastline which GFS says could develop over the Indian Ocean into a tropical cyclone, with landfall currently predicted next Thursday.

GFS goes a step further, with a potentially major winter storm from Antarctica (likely the final polar system for 2017) swinging north across the Southern Ocean and arriving in the Bight around this time next week. This is where things start to look attention-grabbing, with the predicted landfalling tropical cyclone interacting with the trough over the WA Pilbara and Outback, and then the whole tropical system begins to interact with the impending winter storm system.

The high pressure area that will be affecting Southern Australia for the next 7 days or so retreats into the Tasman Sea/South Pacific Ocean by the middle of next week, allowing a northerly airflow to build across Victoria from Queensland as the storm systems begin to join forces further west. ACCESS and GFS have a potentially dangerous heatwave and high-risk bushfire period predicted across the State around this time next week!

ACCESS doesn't have a tropical cyclone in its current outlook, and as for the winter storm from Antarctica it's likely to stay to the south, but at least the WA Pilbara trough is showing up.

Still too early to say what's likely to happen in terms of rainfall and thunderstorm likelihood, but hopefully a wet, stormy finale to 2017 is on its way!!

We have cold front/trough that's passing through Southern Victoria atm, bringing showers which will be mainly on and south of the Divide, lingering well into tomorrow with storms likely in the Northeast, and early coastal drizzle on Christmas Day. The northern half of the State should be mainly dry.

Then on Christmas Day high pressure begins to take control, ensuring at least the first half of the final week for 2017 is mostly fine State-wide.

But the latest updates that are coming through on the synoptic prognosis and the models still have what's shaping up to a potentially significant weather event as the year draws to a close, likely to be a "mini-tropofest" and epic "Battle of the Air Masses".

The Monsoon is now days away from firing up across tropical Northern Australia, and the models are suggesting that a tropical cyclone could spin up in the waters off the WA Pilbara and Kimberley region around the middle of next week before coming ashore and then merging with a branch of the troughy monsoonal system that spreads south through the Western Australian Outback towards the Bight.

The final potentially major winter storm for 2017 is still showing up on the models as well! Next week an enormous, deep low pressure system from Antarctica is set to swing north across the Southern Ocean towards Southern Australia, unleashing a powerful cold front that charges into the Bight late next week.

The incoming high will clear into the Tasman Sea/South Pacific Ocean by the middle of next week. As the impending winter storm interacts with the tropical system over WA, a northerly airflow will build across Eastern Australia, dragging hot winds south into Victoria from Queensland. Looks like a potentially dangerous heatwave and possibly high-risk bushfire situation is about to unfold across the State, with forecast highs of 35°C for Melbourne on Wednesday, and even hotter conditions across the Northern Plains and Mallee, peaking at 41°C in Mildura on Thursday!

The models have slightly different scenarios for the end of next week, but they seem to be hinting a very sultry, stormy couple of days (Thursday/Friday) as a trough dips south into Victoria. Ventusky and Brisbane Storm Chasers have instability, so fingers crossed that we receive another burst of soaking summer rain with severe thunderstorm action thrown in!

ACCESS goes one step further, with the possibly a vigorous polar blast for the final weekend of the year!

Still need to wait a little longer before the picture becomes clearer...

After a nice drop from the NW cloud band associated with the Broome TC over past 2 days, it looks like a cool period into later next week before it gets warm again.

Hopefully the warm conditions later next week include enough moisture from Aus N east coast to allow another stormy wet change when the next southern maritime frontal system hits us later next weekend?? Here's GFS's early take on things:

The model you are showing also has widespread rain the night prior and that night so not exactly the same sort of set up being progged. GFS also keen on some heavy rain , EC had been for days until tonights run.(where it looks more like what your implying/suggesting).

Wait and see a few more days if its another one day hot dry windy one or its a steam filled possible rain event.